When we have some writing to do, many of us start with a simple outline—jotted down notes or even questions covering the "what," "how," and "why" of the piece. However, a complete outline with answers that go with the questions or points will make writing much easier.

Marina Brito writes on One Spoon at a Time how planning a complete outline (instead of what she calls her half-outline) makes for less rambling and long, drawn out writing sessions. Previously, she might have outlined an article about walking a dog like this:
- Why walk the dog?
- Who walks the dog?
- Where to walk the dog?

A more complete outline would add the answers in addition to the questions. E.g.:
- Why walk the dog?
Answer: To get some fresh air and exercise

Advertisement

Even if you don't outline using questions, the advice still stands. Make each point on the outline not just a topic (e.g., "audience") but a fuller summary or answer (e.g., "The target audience is New Yorkers"). Unfortunately, many of us learn to outline using just topics rather than the sentence summary style—or if we're in a rush, we don't take the time to create a complete outline.

Spending more time on the outline upfront, though, can help you write faster because your ideas are already refined.